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One hundred days.
That was how long it had been since he'd seen Ladybug. Or any of his friends.
Sure, there had been FaceTime calls, and sure, sometimes Ladybug would call him on the communicators to check up on him, but it wasn't the same. The communicators were much better than phones, of course, the technology so great that he could almost pretend she was by his side. But of course, nothing could beat face to face contact.
And the communicators didn't allow him to kiss her hand.
Adrien sighed dejectedly for what felt like the bazillionth time that night. He hadn't been able to sleep. Not that night and not any of the other nights before then after the quarantine had been announced.
He wasn't sure if it was anxiety or newly developed insomnia or what, but it didn't matter. Even if he could sleep, all he'd get were nightmares. And on the off chance that he'd get a good dream, of being with his friends or Ladybug, he'd wake up disappointed.
He turned to Plagg, who'd been asleep for at least five hours. Plagg was lucky, all he really cared about was sleep and cheese. He could get all the cheese he wanted, and sleeping was his talent. Adrien, however? He cared about other people. And he couldn't see them.
He had the urge to transform, just to check if Ladybug had left him any messages, but he knew it would annoy Plagg. Instead he stared at the ceiling, glaring at it as though it were the cause of his problems.
It wasn't that he wasn't used to being locked up in his room. For years he'd gotten accustomed to it. But for the past three years, he'd started to taste freedom. And now it was taken away from him. He felt like a kid who licked his ice cream, only to have it fall on the floor seconds later.
Ladybug...
He missed her dearly. So much that it literally hurt him. It left him with an aching feeling in his heart, the rest of him feeling pretty empty. He didn't realize that one person could have such an effect on him. But then again, after liking her for so long, and getting used to seeing her at least once a week, it made sense that he missed her. It made sense that it pained him to not feel her by his side, in battle or patrol.
At least Hawk Moth hadn't given out many Akumas. It was hard to fight and keep a mask on. At least he didn't have to worry about touching anything, having gloved hands and all. He also didn't have to worry about disinfecting anything, besides his mask.
Patrol was boring. Him and Ladybug never did patrol together anymore, and the only reason for doing so was to make sure everyone kept their distance and wore their masks if they went outside. And not many people ever really did leave their homes, so it wasn't exactly necessary. But he kept up with his patrols and he knew Ladybug kept up with hers.
Ladybug...
He sighed yet again. Maybe that would be a side effect from quarantine, sighing all the time.
But he couldn't help it. It happened every time he thought about his lady, and that was often. With nothing to do at home, his mind would wander. And of course when his mind wandered, it led him to the person he loved.
He hoped she was ok, and that her family was safe. He hoped none of them got sick, but he really didn't want to think about anyone getting sick. As far as he knew, his friends were all fine. The Dupain-Chengs were having a bit of trouble, with their business shut down and all, and he wanted to help somehow. Of course when he brought up the idea to his father, it was shot down immediately.
"Why should I risk getting sick to help some strangers?" Gabriel had said.
"They're not strangers, they're my friend's parents. And we don't have to get sick, maybe you can wire them some money to help with bills, or you can send them some fabrics, Marinette can make clothes," Adrien had protested.
"Adrien, I already said no, end of discussion. You are dismissed."
Adrien groaned at the memory. If only his father was more willing to help people, like the general public. Some people were having trouble eating, he'd seen the news. He wanted to help give, since the two of them had so much, but if his father wouldn't help one of his friends, why would he help the other people of Paris?
Ladybug would've donated, no matter how much or how much or how little she had. And she did talk about giving out some clothes and food to people, though he wasn't sure if she'd done that yet. He'd have to ask.
Ladybug...
Adrien thought of her kindness and her compassion. Her willingness to put others safety before hers, and to always stand up for what was right. He thought of her smile, and the way she rolled her eyes at his puns. He thought of the way her nose scrunched up when she cringed, the way she'd put a finger to his nose to push him away if he got too close. He thought of her bright, infinitely blue eyes...
Stupid hormones, his mind hissed. Making me think about someone I can't have right now, or maybe ever.
But that didn't stop him from thinking about her. It didn't stop him from longing. He knew he would have to wait, but it wasn't like he hadn't waited to see her before. He would just have to wait longer, until the sickness that was spreading so violently went away. He didn't care how long he had to wait, as long as he would see her eventually.
He just hoped that the time would come soon.
The sun rose, light shining through the large windows lining one of the walls in his room. It was a new day, and with came a new opportunity. Maybe things would get better, and he would get to see his beloved Bugaboo soon. Maybe he would get to talk to her that day, and ask her how she was doing. Maybe they could patrol together, six feet apart, and he'd get to see her in person. He'd have to ask.
It was midday by the time Adrien had woken up. He'd finally fallen asleep as the sun rose, and without any photoshoots, he was able to wake up whenever he pleased. That was one good thing about the state they were in. The streets were quiet, not much was happening without many people going to work. When he glanced beside him, he was surprised to find Plagg was missing.
He scanned the room, searching for his Kwami, finding him eating some of his Camembert and sitting on Adrien's piano. "About time you woke up," Plagg grumbled.
Adrien kicked his covers off of himself, then stood and walked over to Plagg, "You know I can't sleep."
"When'd you fall asleep this time?"
"Around the time the sun rose."
"I don't understand how it can be hard for you to sleep, kid," Plagg shook his head, "Sleeping is the easiest thing to do."
"Not for me, it isn't."
"Humans are weird."
"Says the one who has a Camembert addiction," Adrien smiled. He walked to his bathroom, slashing water over his face.
"Don't insult my cheese," Plagg warned. It would've been more intimidating had he not been talking about cheese, since he was basically a god of destruction and a breath would break the ground beneath your feet.
"No promises," Adrien called as he brushed his teeth.
I wonder which video games I should play today, he thought to himself.
However, he quickly stopped that train of thought. Why play video games, when you can go on day patrol and get fresh air? Slowly, he turned to Plagg, whose eyes slowly widen as he shook his head, "Oh, no. Adrien we are not doing day patrol."
"Pretty please? I'll get you more Camembert, three whole rolls." Adrien hoped a bribe would work. He really needed fresh air and an excuse to potentially run into Ladybug.
"Kid, we do this almost everyday, what makes you think today will be any different?"
Almost everyday? Oh. Right.
So maybe all he wanted was an excuse to possibly run into Ladybug. "Today is a new day, and with it comes new opportunities."
"You do know that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome right?" Plagg grumbled.
"Yes, but that's when you have the same exact variables. A new day provides new variables, which means things can change," Adrien reasoned. While Plagg did have a small point, Adrien had a much bigger point. At least he hoped Plagg would think the same.
"Fine," Plagg spat, "But only because you've upped the amount of cheese today."
Adrien felt a large grin making its way onto his face, "Plagg, claws out!"
In a flash of greenlight, Chat Noir stood in Adrien's bedroom. He walked over to the windows, opening one, then extending his baton to launch himself to another rooftop.
As he made his way from rooftop to rooftop, walking and checking the streets of Paris, he stopped and checked his communicator. No new messages. He sighed, catapulting to another rooftop, why did he think that day would be any different?
The day was hot, and it made his suit stick to him uncomfortably. Not only did he have the mask the came with the suit cover his eyes and cheeks, he had a cloth face mask covering his mouth and nose. He tugged at the cloth, trying to put space between it and his sweating face.
Before he could vault to the next rooftop, his communicator buzzed, he checked it, finding a message from Ladybug. Before he could open it, it buzzed again, and a screen came up telling him he was receiving a call from her. He picked up, "Hello, my Lady, how are you today?"
He could practically see her roll her eyes, "I'm fine, thanks. I was wondering though, are you on day patrol right now?"
The grin on his face grew impossibly big with anticipation, "I am, why do you ask?"
"Well, the funny thing is, I am too," came a voice from behind him.
He twirled around as the call ended, seeing his partner dressed in her usual attire, a red and black polka dotted mask covering her mouth and nose. "Hey, Bugaboo, nice of you to join me." She was six feet away from him, but there nonetheless.
A giggle erupted from her, bubbly and sweet. Music to Chat's ears. "Your mask has green paw prints on it? Really, chaton?"
His heart fluttered at the sound of her voice saying his nickname. Not that she hadn't on previous calls, but she was in front of him. "Well, I decided it was purr-fect because I'm so paw-some."
She cringed, her nose scrunching up under her mask, "Yikes, two in a row?"
"Did you want more?"
"Oh, please, don't." She shook her head, but the way her eyes twinkled told him she had a smile on her face. It didn't last too long though, for she quickly changed the subject, "So, why day patrol?"
"Nice to get some sun and fresh air. How about you?"
"Well, I don't have night vision, but also the same reason, basically."
"Makes sense."
They then walked in amicable silence, eyes scanning the streets of Paris. Chat desperately wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what to say. Then he remembered, "You mentioned wanting to donate and help people in need, what did you have in mind?"
"Hm? Oh, well I was going to--"
The rest of her speech came out a bit muffled. Chat tried to ask her what she said, but his mouth felt clamped shut. His eyes suddenly grew heavy, and no matter how hard he tried to keep them open, they slowly drooped shut.
"Kid? Hey, kid, it's late you should wake up, Nathalie is gonna ask you to go eat lunch soon," Plagg's voice came.
Adrien stirred in bed, eyes shut tight, fighting against the bright light shining on them. Plagg shook his shoulder, trying again to wake him up. Adrien groaned, but didn't open his eyes yet. He heard Plagg sigh.
"Kid, if you don't wake up right now, I'm not going in the unnecessary day patrols anymore."
Adrien's eyes flew open. "Noooo," he croaked. His throat felt dry, and his mouth tasted gross.
"Geez, finally you woke up. What were you dreaming about that kept you asleep for so long?"
Asleep?
He looked down and found himself in bed, covers all twisted up, some of him covered and some of him not, his red and black polka dotted pajama shorts on. Adrien groaned.
Of course it was just a dream.